 REVIEW: "Shoplifters" Challenges The Definition of Family |
From the soft and tender direction of Hirokazu Koreeda comes Shoplifters, a heartfelt story about the bonds of family: what can tear them apart, and what, like the grandma Hatsue's (Kirin Kiki) fabric needle can stitch them back together again. Family relations tension, secrets are withheld for long periods of time, and these people we grow to care about try desperately hard to hide aspects of their past that haunt them. There is something so innocent and sweet about this story that even when the most damning reveals creep their way into the story, when characters open up and speak honestly with one another, it's impossible to not still feel sympathy. Koreeda lets us get to know the sweet side of these people for such an extended amount of time in the most honest and understandable ways, that even when watching them commit their thefts, it's clearly wrong, but it's at least satisfying to know they haven't gotten caught and are staying alive. A terrific balancing act due to brilliant characterization.
The lead anchors of the film being a man Osamu (Lily Franky) and his wife Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) who have jobs, but get by on shoplifting, spreading their illegal hobby to Shota (Kairi Jo), a young boy who lives with them and they treat as their son. They stay secluded in a small home with Hatsue and a young woman named Aki (Mayu Matsuoka). Aki had previously abandoned her family and works now at a hostess club. While neither are actually related, they've formed a bond that feels as familial as any home. In a sense, it's the perfect family: the husband and wife, son and daughter, and grandma. Their bond is unique but believable and authentic, Koreeda giving each character so much depth and humanity, heart and humor, moral ambiguity, and tough familial decision making. All goes about normally for this "family" until they discover an abused child named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki) hiding from her neglecting parents. They intend to return her to her family, but believe the child is better off with them. Adding a new member to the family, the group teach Yuri what real family love is like, but all that comes with a major cost when the group's past begins to catch up with them.
Franky's performance as patriarch Osamu is charmingly funny and Franky layers that humor with a tinge of sadness throughout. This man constantly is masking his own guilts and regrets and Franky does a terrific job at finding the sweetness and warmth of a genuinely good father figure. Ando's portrayal of Nobuyo is a unique contrast, sharing the sweet nature, but with more glimmers of an edge. This is a woman with a complicated past making complicated decisions and Nobuyo proves to be more in charge of this group than her husband, while Osamu reluctantly agrees to anything she is firm about. Right off the bat, Osamu is a character we like and Nobuyo is a character we admire and respect.
Shota, their son figure, has gotten so efficiently accustomed to his family's routine, he himself has become a master thief, learning everything he knows from Osamu, but even surprising Osamu from time to time. When a new young member of the family is introduced, he reacts like any child would: jealous, uncertain, kind but conflicted. Shota is aware this is not his real family, but understands the bond of family through these people. Kairi Jo is an adorable presence, as is Sasaki as Yuri, and both performers deliver strong moments of simple yet powerful dialogue amongst their adult costars.
Kirin Kiki as the eldery Hatsue is a comedic scene stealer, teasing Aki about her profession or Osamu about his work ethic, but beyond the wisecracks, there is something lingering within her facial gestures as she mingles with her fake family, and Kiki adds heaps of depth with beautifully quiet subtlety. Mayu Matsuoka as Aki expertly shines positivity cloaked in emptiness as a character always pretending to be something she's not to hide the someone that she is. A tender moment with a client at her hostess club is one of the film's most quietly impactful moments.
There is a bit of confusion throughout the first hour with how ambiguous some of these story threads are presented but the last act of the film is a crescendo of reveals. Elements click into place and despite it being a lot to explain to the audience, the film manages to avoid these reveals feeling expository or information overload and these reveals immediately have us searching back into our minds and connecting dots to scenes with newfound context between these characters. It may be a spoiler to say there are reveals coming, but as a critique, it needs to be addressed as being one of the film's greatest strengths. Koreeda's script leapfrogs over the typical melodrama and saccharine story elements that come with a plot like this by putting the characters first, letting their honest, layered decision making drive the story. The film does so much great character work to warm your heart, it's amazing how easy it is for the film to break your heart in the process.
Maybe Shoplifters takes a more dower route than it needs to. It's certainly a powerful conclusion, and one that earns it, but it is tough to walk away from the theater when the credits roll. What at first seems like a pleasant little dramedy of an unorthodox family unmasks itself in its final act, brilliantly so, but admittedly unsatisfactory. Emotions will feel conflicted, but it's hard not to appreciate in its entirety committing so truthfully and honestly with the character dynamics and seeds planted and woven throughout its runtime. It's proof positive that family is constructed by love, not blood, and real love comes from those that give and receive it.
"Shoplifters" has been nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 91st Academy Awards.
“Shoplifters,” an Magnolia Pictures release, is rated R for some sexual content and nudity. Running time: 121 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
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